Archive for December, 2014

Pictured are the deer from the 2014 bow and gun seasons here in Michigan. Two of the pictures are a friend of mine (John Poniewozik) who shot two really nice ten pointers during the gun season. He got them both in Calhoun County in the southern part of the state. I also added a nice 8 point shot by my brother Darryl during bow season. Sit back and drool over the great bucks of Michigan, and remember there are plenty more where these come from. There’s always next year!

The Federal courts are at it again. Recently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was ordered to return wolves, in the Great lakes Region, back to the endandered species list. That would rule out any “hunting season” for wolves, and also make it illeage for Michigan residentsTo kill wolves attacking their livestock! Under the endangered species act, wolves may be killed only in the immediate defense of human life.

Michigan has two state laws allowing livestock or dog owners to kill wolves attacking their animals. That is now null and void. Personnally I can’t see a dog owner sitting by while a wolf, or pack of wolves, devours “Spot!” Also those farmers that had been granted a “lethal” control permit are now holding non-valid permits. They will still be compensated by the state, but no longer allowed to kill the wolves killing their livestock.

Fridays federal court order came as a response to a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States, challanging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove wolves in the Great Lakes region federal endangered species list. The ruling effects wolves in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Russ Mason, DNR Wildlife Division Chief stated that “The Federal court decision is surprising and disappointing.” “Wolves in Michigan have exceeded recovery goals for 15 years and have no business being on the endangered species list, which is designed to help fragil populations recover- not to halt the use of effective wildlife management techniques.”

Well maybe not exactly Christmas dinner, but it will be part of that dinner. I decided to cook the turkey I shot this past fall with my bow. I skinned it, as that’s the easiest way to get the feathers off, but then you have to be careful about how you cook it.

I usually use bacon strips to cover the whole turkey when roasting, but had none on hand yesterday. I wasn’t about to fight the crowd at the grocery store, so I tried something different.You wouldn’t think mayo would be something to bast turkey with, but that’s exactly what I used.

First take about a cup of mayonnaise and add some of your favorite herbs. I used sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic, onion powder, lemon pepper and salt mixed in with the “mayo.” I then took a basting brush and brushed it all over the bird. This layer helps lock in the moisture, so the meat doesn’t dry out. Preheat the over to 350 degrees, add a little water to your roasting pan, and your ready to go.

You can see by the picture how my bird turned out. I could not believe how moist the meat was, and the herbs added a unique flavor to my “wild turkey!” Bon appetit!

Leah Reeder, 15, of Eastpoint, in Franklin county Florida was recently attacked by a black bear while out walking her dog. The attack happened around 6:00 p.m. The black bear was trying to drag Leah into a wooded area, as it pulled her through a ditch. Leah played dead hoping the bear would leave her alone, but the attack didn’t stop until her dog (a Springer Spaniel) came to her rescue! This is one reason “dogs” are mans best friend!

After the bear retreated Leah was able to get to her feet and walk to her dads house. She had deep wounds across her face, neck, back, and legs. Leah was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery for her injuries.

Sherry Mann (Leah’s mother) told ABC news “Even as I sit here I can’t believe it happened,” “The bears are all over the place, and I know how hard I would fight to protect my kids, but momma bear can do so much more damage than me with just one swipe.” Mrs. Mann said Leah managed a couple upbeat smiles before she went into the operating room.

Florida Fish and Wildlife authorities plan on trying to trap the bear, but other than that there is not much they can, or will do! So far this calendar year (2014) there have been 6 people killed by bears in the U.S. Leah was fortunate that she wasn’t unlucky number 7!

I have never viewed Florida as a mecca for black bears, but bear attacks have been surging in the last two years. With all the elderly residents living in semi rural, and rural area, It’s it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed. You can’t keep in-crouching into bear territory, destroying their habitat and food sources, and not have bear/human conflict.

A black bear is a strong powerful animal with sharp 2 inch claws, and lightning fast reflexes. They have a powerful bite and are a formidable foe for even the largest humans! Bear as small as 90-100 pounds have killed grown adults. I don’t see where these kinds of problems are going to go away and sooner or later Mr. Bear is going to “pay” for being a “bear!”

So far this fall we have been given a huge break concerning the weather. Last December was disastrous with cold, snow, and wind being the norm for the month. I had to have the driveway plowed three times in December last year, but so far this year, the little snow that fell is all melted away!

Last week my good friend (Rev. Bob Baltrip) and I actually played 18 holes of golf at Green Meadows golf course. There was hardly any wind and temperatures were in the low 50’s. What a joy it was to get in one last game for the year. I had not played since October, and ended up with my second lowest round of the year. We weren’t the only ones enjoying a round of late season golf, as the course was quite full with like-minded “duffers!”

On December 15th. of last year we were dumped on with 8 inches of the white stuff. Northern Michigan received 12 inches. When I went up to the cabin for the late season deer hunt there was 18 inches of snow on the ground. Don’t think that’s going to happen this year!

Well my clubs are cleaned and put away, but I’d pull them out again if we happened to be blessed with some golfers weather. Until then I’ll have to stick with watching “the golf channel!”

Conservation officers with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are seeking information regarding the illegal killing of a bull moose that occurred in late November in Baraga County.

The moose carcass was discovered on Saturday, Dec. 13. Based on evidence collected at the site, officers believe the moose was killed in late November along Heart Lake Road near Petticoat Lake Road in the Three Lakes area. Logging is occurring along the road and road hunting violations have been reported in the area, according to officers involved in the investigation.

A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Anyone with information related to this case, or any other fish, game or natural resources violation, is asked to call the DNR’s Report All Poaching hotline at800-292-7800; the DNR’s Law Enforcement Division at the Marquette Customer Service Center at906-228-6561; or may report the information online at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers. Information may be left anonymously.

Michigan currently does not have a moose hunting season, and moose are protected under state law. Penalties for poaching a moose include up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000, restitution of $1,500, and a mandatory loss of all hunting privileges for four years.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

If you received this from a friend and would like to get emails on DNR topics that interest you, please sign up.
For DNR-related questions, contact us.
For suggestions on how the DNR can improve the emails you receive, please email DNR-Bulletins@michigan.gov.

I could not pass up posting this video that shows a large group of Marines praising God exuberantly to say the least! With all the negative news coming at us from all sides this is most refreshing indeed. Service Chaplains cannot mention the name of Jesus, and there are many restrictions concerning the sharing of the Christian gospel in the ranks of our Armed Forces. Evidently these marines never got the word to be quiet about Jesus! You go boys! You have blessed my heart today. May God watch over each and every one of you, and keep you from “harms way.”

The gun control debate is heating up again with background checks seeming to win over several Senators that voted against them last time they came before the Senate.

Below is one of the latest reports on guns, and gun violence in America.

It seems to be a “mixed bag” concerning the direction guns and gun control are moving presently.

What comes into play as far as I’m concerned is the fact that this report is not “up to date! In the last several years Gun sales have skyrocketed, and in particular this last year. Obama has certainly helped spur gun sales, due to his unrelenting stance on “gun control!” There are several encouraging factors in this report for Second Amendment advocates, but there is also room for concern. Read to see what you think.

The gun control debate is certainly worth reopening. But if we’re going to reopen it, let’s not just rethink the politics. Let’s take another look at the facts. Earlier this year, President Obama ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the existing research on gun violence and recommend future studies. That report, prepared by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, is now complete. Its findings won’t entirely please the Obama administration or the NRA, but all of us should consider them. Here’s a list of the 10 most salient or surprising takeaways.

1. The United States has an indisputable gun violence problem. According to the report, “the U.S. rate of firearm-related homicide is higher than that of any other industrialized country: 19.5 times higher than the rates in other high-income countries.”

2. Most indices of crime and gun violence are getting better, not worse. “Overall crime rates have declined in the past decade, and violent crimes, including homicides specifically, have declined in the past 5 years,” the report notes. “Between 2005 and 2010, the percentage of firearm-related violent victimization’s remained generally stable.” Meanwhile, “firearm-related death rates for youth ages 15 to 19 declined from 1994 to 2009.” Accidents are down, too: “Unintentional firearm-related deaths have steadily declined during the past century. The number of unintentional deaths due to firearm-related incidents accounted for less than 1 percent of all unintentional fatalities in 2010.”

3. We have 300 million firearms, but only 100 million are handguns. According to the report, “In 2007, one estimate placed the total number of firearms in the country at 294 million: ‘106 million handguns, 105 million rifles, and 83 million shotguns.’” This translates to nearly nine guns for every 10 people, a per capita ownership rate nearly 50 percent higher than the next most armed country. But American gun ownership is concentrated, not universal: In a December 2012 Gallup poll, “43 percent of those surveyed reported having a gun in the home.”

4. Handguns are the problem. Despite being outnumbered by long guns, “Handguns are used in more than 87 percent of violent crimes,” the report notes. In 2011, “handguns comprised 72.5 percent of the firearms used in murder and non-negligent manslaughter incidents.” Why do criminals prefer handguns? One reason, according to surveys of felons, is that they’re “easily concealable.”

5. Mass shootings aren’t the problem. “The number of public mass shootings of the type that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School accounted for a very small fraction of all firearm-related deaths,” says the report. “Since 1983 there have been 78 events in which 4 or more individuals were killed by a single perpetrator in 1 day in the United States, resulting in 547 victims and 476 injured persons.” Compare that with the 335,000 gun deaths between 2000 and 2010 alone.

6. Gun suicide is a bigger killer than gun homicide. From 2000 to 2010, “firearm-related suicides significantly outnumbered homicides for all age groups, annually accounting for 61 percent of the more than 335,600 people who died from firearm-related violence in the United States,” says the report. Firearm sales are often a warning: Two studies found that “a small but significant fraction of gun suicides are committed within days to weeks after the purchase of a handgun, and both also indicate that gun purchasers have an elevated risk of suicide for many years after the purchase of the gun.”

7. Guns are used for self-defense often and effectively. “Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year … in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008,” says the report. The three million figure is probably high, “based on an extrapolation from a small number of responses taken from more than 19 national surveys.” But a much lower estimate of 108,000 also seems fishy, “because respondents were not asked specifically about defensive gun use.” Furthermore, “Studies that directly assessed the effect of actual

defensive uses of guns (i.e., incidents in which a gun was “used” by the crime victim in the sense of attacking or threatening an offender) have found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies.”

8. Carrying guns for self-defense is an arms race. The prevalence of firearm violence near “drug markets … could be a consequence of drug dealers carrying guns for self-defense against thieves or other adversaries who are likely to be armed,” says the report. In these communities, “individuals not involved in the drug markets have similar incentives for possessing guns.” According to a Pew Foundation report, “the vast majority of gun owners say that having a gun makes them feel safer. And far more today than in 1999 cite protection—rather than hunting or other activities—as the major reason for why they own guns.”

9. Denying guns to people under restraining orders saves lives. “Two-thirds of homicides of ex- and current spouses were committed [with] firearms,” the report observes. “In locations where individuals under restraining orders to stay away from current or ex-partners are prohibited from access to firearms, female partner homicide is reduced by 7 percent.”

10. It isn’t true that most gun acquisitions by criminals can be blamed on a few bad dealers. The report concedes that in 1998, “1,020 of 83,272 federally licensed retailers (1.2 percent) accounted for 57.4 percent of all guns traced by the ATF.” However, “Gun sales are also relatively concentrated; approximately 15 percent of retailers request 80 percent of background checks on gun buyers conducted by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.” Researchers have found that “the share of crime gun traces attributed to these few dealers only slightly exceeded their share of handgun sales, which are almost equally concentrated among a few dealers.” Volume, not laxity, drives the number of ill-fated sales.

These conclusions don’t line up perfectly with either side’s agenda. That’s a good reason to take them seriously—and to fund additional data collection and research which have been blocked by Congress over politics. Yes, the facts will surprise you. That’s why you should embrace them.

This is a report by CBC news out of southern Florida. Seems we have been hearing quite a lot about bears in Florida of late! What a tragic accident!

A motorist’s vehicle struck and killed a black bear on a road in the Florida Everglades and three others from another vehicle who had gotten out to help the woman where then struck and killed by a third vehicle, police said. Several others were reported injured in the three-vehicle accident.

Seminole Police Department spokesman Gary Bitner told The Associated Press the woman was driving on the two-lane Snake Road just inside Everglades territory when her vehicle hit the bear shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. He said it was after sunset and dark already by that time.

“Three people from a second vehicle got out and tried to help and all were struck and killed by a third vehicle,” Bitner said by telephone, adding events apparently unfolded quickly.

“We’ve never had an accident involving a black bear,” he noted. “There are black bears throughout Florida and this is in the Everglades, so there absolutely are black bears in that area.”

He added that 13 people in total were riding in the three vehicles and four were injured severely enough that they had to be taken by helicopter to a South Florida hospital. He said four others were taken by ambulances and two of the 13 weren’t hurt, including the woman in the initial crash with the bear.

The identities of those involved and the extent of their injuries weren’t immediately available, he said, adding accident reconstruction experts were on the scene and details remained uncertain of precisely how events unfolded or the speed and make of the vehicles. But he said at least two of the vehicles were going in opposite directions.

“They are still trying to figure everything out,” he said.

Bitner said that location is on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, one of several tribal reservations scattered about Florida. He said it was also in an area north of the Everglades’ Alligator Alley.

My brother Darryl has made the trip to Southern Ohio, for their opener of gun deer season, for many years. He usually gets a few days of bowhunting in before the gun opener, and has had a few successful hunts. It’s not like he comes back every year with a “Booner,” but he does come back with the stories of huge Ohio whitetails that have been seen, and harvested by his hunting partners and other local hunters. This year was no different, as I will post pictures of three of the bucks that were taken around his hunting area. No wonder he keeps coming back!

The opener was rainy and miserable, as the weather did not cooperate at all. On top of that was a full moon which had deer moving later than usual. The second day deer drives were planned, but the brush was so thick it was tough going trying to “bump” them out of their beds! Darryl did fill his doe tag, but may have been better off staying in his tree stand on day two. Upon checking his trail camera he found that three different bucks had visited, with one being a really mature 10 point. Oh well that’s the way it goes little brother.

From the pictures I received I did an estimate of the score of the second buck. I came up with well over 180 inches on this massive rack! Those huge Southern Ohio bucks seem to get bigger every year, and I’m sure we all will be reading more about the “Ohio bucks that didn’t get away.”